The soap’s new series producer told the ECHO and other press how the character will be at the centre of a powerful storyline
Coronation Street’s Kevin Webster is set to be diagnosed with testicular cancer in a hard-hitting storyline next year. The soap star, who is played by Michael Le Vell, first appeared in Weatherfield in 1983 and has largely been a mainstay on the Cobbles ever since.
The character will once again take centre stage next year when he tries to come to terms with his diagnosis. The show’s new series producer, Kate Brooks, told the ECHO and other press about what is in store for the character.
She said: “As we go into the New Year, Kevin will discover he has testicular cancer. which causes a massive strain on his relationship. Abi [Webster] is a really strong character but she’s gong through her own turmoil at the same time.
“We want to tell the story truthfully and have been working with Macmillan to tell it right. Ultimately, it’s about their relationship and testing that relationship.
“It was really important that we didn’t show Kevin being embarrassed or reticent to talk to his friends about it. He is open about it, which I thought was refreshing. He talks to Tim [Metcalfe] and Steve [McDonald] and they have their own way about how they handle it.
“But ultimately it’s about his relationship with Abi and that is going to be tested. She loves Kevin and Kevin loves her but temptation comes her way.”
Kate also revealed Abi, played by Sally Carman, will be rocked by a knife crime storyline that shakes the whole community. The new show boss said: “We start the year with a big knife crime story and have worked with the Ben Kinsella foundation to make sure we tell the story right. The message is don’t carry a knife out of fear because that escalates everything.
“Mason [Radcliffe] and Dylan [Wilson] are at the centre of it. It has massive ramifications for Abi, Tim [Metcalfe] and Sally [Webster] going forward.”
Kate teased the 2025 spoilers as she was officially unveiled as the show’s new series producer. She was confirmed as the new series producer on the long-running ITV show earlier this year.
Weatherfield’s new boss hails from Liverpool and previously worked on Corrie before she made the move to Emmerdale in 2017. Kate returned to the Cobbles from the Yorkshire village this year when she replaced former Executive Producer, Iain MacLeod, who has taken up a new role at ITV as head of Continuing Drama for both Corrie and Emmerdale.
Speaking about her vision for the show, she told the ECHO and other press: “I’ve made no attempt to disguise that I love Coronation Street. I’m a fan. I just really want to make sure the audiences are entertained. It’s important that we tell gritty, issue led stories and we’ve got them coming up in abundance.
“Ultimately it’s about packaging them in the right way and keeping them fresh and different without losing the DNA of Corrie. For me, what makes Corrie so wonderful is the familiarity of it, the wit and the characters. All of these stories will be packaged with that in mind.”
